Live, outdoor music returning to Detroit Lakes' City Park this week (2024)

DETROIT LAKES — Live, outdoor music has become something of a staple in Detroit Lakes over the past couple of decades, with the establishment of Tuesdays in the Park, Trucks and Tunes, Music on the Mountain, Bash on the Beach, and of course, the granddaddy of them all, WE Fest, which is celebrating its 41st year in August.

The Detroit Lakes City Park will once again be filled with music — and food! — on both Tuesday and Friday nights throughout the summer, as both the Tuesdays in the Park and Friday Trucks & Tunes concert series are returning this week, thanks to Project 412, the Historic Holmes Theatre, the Fuller Center for Housing and a gaggle of local food trucks.

The ever-popular Tuesdays in the Park concert series starts this Tuesday, June 4, and once again, the Lakes Area Community Concert Band will be kicking off the series, as well as closing it out on Aug. 27.

"We'll be there every Tuesday through Aug. 27," said Historic Holmes Theatre Marketing Coordinator Rachel Hofstrand.

The full music lineup is as follows:

• June 4: Lakes Area Community Concert Band
• June 11: Steve Kelly and the Cherry Cherry Band
• June 18: Blu Kanu (come at 6 p.m. for a Detriot Lakes ECFE activity)
• June 25: Doc & the Scrubs
• July 2: Dakota Big Band
• July 9: Larry Swenson
• July 16: "One Man Band" Tony Oberto
• July 23: Tim Eggebraaten
• July 30: Jan Severson
• Aug. 6: Ulen Centennial Band
• Aug. 13: Doc & the Scrubs
• Aug. 20: Mark Fogelson
• Aug. 27: Lakes Area Community Concert Band

The Holmes Theatre co-hosts the series along with the Fuller Center for Housing, which puts on a picnic supper every week before the music starts.

Vicki Gerdes / Detroit Lakes Tribune

Fuller Center volunteers will be grilling up some hamburgers, hot dogs and brats at the picnic shelter nearest to the bandshell, then serving them up from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Each plate will also include several sides, and attendees can have their choice of beverages as well. The cost is a free will offering, with proceeds going toward the Fuller Center's efforts to provide local, affordable housing for families in need.

"The picnic starts at 5:30 p.m., and the concert starts at 7," Hofstrand added.

The Detroit Lakes Pavilion, also located at the City Park, will be the rain site for the series. "If it rains, we will be moving inside the Pavilion," she said.

Though all the concerts are offered free of charge, "we do accept and appreciate free will donations," Hofstrand said.

Because seating at the bandshell is limited to a handful of park benches, attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the music in comfort, she added. For more information, including short descriptions of each participating artist, visit www.dlccc.org/outdoormusic-331707.html.

Project 412's Trucks and Tunes lineup has expanded to include three concerts per month, or nine in total, between June 7-Aug. 23,

"We're practically doubling it (i.e., the total number of Trucks & Tunes concerts)," said Project 412 Executive Director Amy Stearns, noting that the local nonprofit organization sponsored the concert series for the first time in 2023 — and it was a huge success, which led to the expanded schedule for this year.

According to Michelle Maier, who helps coordinate the summer music-with-food-trucks series for Project 412, the number of food trucks that will be parked near the bandshell during those concerts has increased as well. "I would love to see 10 or more out there every week," she added. "We'd like to have a real variety."

Vicki Gerdes / Detroit Lakes Tribune

In case of rain, Trucks & Tunes has shifted its alternate concert location from Zorbaz to Bucks Mill Brewing this year, Maier said — and if rain happens, the food trucks will be moving along with the musicians.

"The food trucks will be parked across the street from Bucks Mill on Washington Avenue," Stearns said, adding that any rain relocations will be posted on Project 412's website and social media pages before noon on the day of the concert.

The full T-n-T lineup will be as follows:

• June 7: Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome
• June 14: Michael Shynes Band
• June 21: Martin Zellar
• July 5: Mason Dixon Line
• July 12: Kat Perkins
• July 26: The 4 on the Floor
• Aug. 9: Pistol Whippin' Party Penguins
• Aug. 16: Chris Kroeze
• Aug. 23: Adessa & the Beat

All concerts will start promptly at 5 p.m., and food trucks will be on site until the music stops at around 8 p.m. Like last year, the concerts will be hosted by the local Broken Strings Guitar Club, who may be bringing along a few musical guests to keep attendees entertained between sets. The concerts are being offered free of charge (though the food and beverages are not). A full schedule, along with artist biographies for each week, can be accessed online at project412mn.org/trucks-tunes.

There are three Friday nights where no Trucks and Tunes concerts are scheduled, Stearns noted, because there are other music events happening on those weekends: Music on the Mountain, Bash on the Beach (which is part of the Northwest Water Carnival), and of course, WE Fest.

Detroit Mountain Recreation Area's annual Music on the Mountain concert series will be offering two nights of live music instead of one this year, with a bonus concert on Friday, June 28 that is being hosted by, you guessed it, Project 412.

Friday's concert will feature Minnesota's own Fabulous Armadillos, with local favorites Sagebrush as the opening act.

The Saturday, June 29 lineup features country music superstar Dustin Lynch, with special guests Dylan Schneider and John Morgan.

Both nights of music start at 6 p.m. Tickets for Friday's show can be found at project412mn.org, while Saturday tickets are available at detroitmountain.com.

The final weekend of Detroit Lakes' 88th Northwest Water Carnival will include two nights of live music on the Detroit Lakes City Beach — an event that, naturally enough, is known as the Bash on the Beach.

The first night's concert, which gets underway at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 19 (gates open at 6 p.m.), will feature rockers Radio Xx. Formed in 2021, Radio Xx members are Bryce Soderberg (Lifehouse), Ben Carey (Lifehouse, Savage Garden, Brett Young, Joe Nichols, Tal Bachman) & Toby Rand (Rockstar Supernova). Their opening act will be Twin Cities-based Uncle Chunk. Formed in 1996, the band plays the best modern alternative rock around.

The Saturday, July 20 concert will feature two country music stars, Ben Haggard and Easton Corbin. Haggard, who is the son of legendary country icon Merle Haggard, will open for Corbin, who hit the country music scene in 2009 with his chart-topping “A Little More Country Than That.” Since then, he has become an established artist offering a baritone swoon that dances with a mix of traditional and modern country sounds.

Ben Haggard, meanwnhile, is an up-and-coming talent with a country vibe that fits well with Corbin. Both Friday and Saturday's concerts get underway at 7 p.m., with gates opening at 6 p.m. Those who purchase tickets for both shows get a discount, though there are individual tickets available for each night as well. It is hosted by the Detroit Lakes Jaycees, who are the overall sponsors of the Water Carnival.

Tickets are $75 for both nights, or $45 for just one, though the price for the two-night package does go up slightly after June 19. They can be ordered online, with an additional 59-cent booking fee, at dljaycees.com/bash-on-the-beach, or physical tickets are available at two locations in Detroit Lakes: Central Market and the Chamber of Commerce.

About a month and a half after the sun set on the 40th anniversary WE Fest country music festival in 2023, organizers announced that Jelly Roll , Parker McCollum and Eric Church will each take the stage as the three Main Stage headliners on Aug. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, at Detroit Lakes' Soo Pass Ranch.

They will be joined by an impressive supporting cast of artists:

A bonus kickoff concert is set for Wednesday, July 31, with Corey Kent and the Joe Stamm Band as featured performers. This concert is free for all WE Fest three-day ticket holders.

Joining Jelly Roll on the Thursday, Aug. 1 lineup are Lauren Watkins , The Bellamy Brothers , Warren Zeiders and Koe Wetzel. Joining McCollum on the Friday, Aug. 2 lineup are Stephen Wilson Jr., Lonestar , Trace Adkins , and Carly Pearce , while Church will be preceded on stage by Tanner Adell, Jackson Dean, Paul Cauthen and Elle King on Saturday, Aug. 3.

Cowboy Troy returning for a third straight year as the festival's Main Stage master of ceremonies.

Single-day admission tickets for WE Fest went on sale on April 3, though there are still three-day music passes as well as several camping and music packages available for the weekend. For more information, including the full three-day concert lineup and ticket prices for the different seating and camping options, visit wefest.com.